


Revenge Is A Fool's Game

by ratonnhhaketon



Series: As Long As The Stars Shine [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25818895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratonnhhaketon/pseuds/ratonnhhaketon
Summary: Born to two Assassins in the Colonial Brotherhood, Eleanor Price was destined for great things. That is, until the disaster at the Davenport Homestead leaves her family in hiding and her parents' pasts long forgotten. She is determined to find and kill the men responsible for her father's death, no matter the cost.Revenge may be a fool's game, but Ellie plays to win.And the prize might just be a blossoming relationship with the boy training alongside her.
Relationships: Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor/Original Character(s), Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor/Original Female Character(s), Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor/Reader
Series: As Long As The Stars Shine [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628281
Kudos: 9





	1. The General Store

**Author's Note:**

> This is the completely rewritten and revamped version of my previous fic involving Connor and my oc Eleanor Price, Iron. Same characters, different plot, a lot better writing.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

The city of Boston was bustling despite the chilling winter that was beginning to slowly come to an end. Civil unrest had been getting heavier during recent days and everyone could sense that something big would happen if it was not taken care of. 

The general store was particularly cold that day, and the occasional burst of frozen air that would rush in with a customer trying to escape the harsh temperature outside was especially chilling. The only sounds occupying the small building were light murmurs escaping the back room and the steady brush of a broom across the front room’s floor. 

The door to the store opened, and a boy about 14 walked in. He wore tan clothing, made of some animal hide, and was donning several weapons. As he pulled the door closed behind him his amber eyes wandered to the girl sweeping the front of the store. She spared him a small glance at first, before looking back up in wonder at him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know where to start. 

He seemed just as unsure of his presence as she was. 

Before he had a chance to speak, a woman exited the back room and walked behind the counter. She had on a typical pale pink dress with a white apron tied around her waist. Her hair was twisted up underneath a bonnet, with only a few curls sticking out around her face. “Can I help you, sir?” She spoke up in a sweet tone. 

The boy walked over to the counter and pulled a pouch of coins and a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I need the items on this list.” 

The woman picked up the list and read it over. “Yes, well.. we can get you the tool, pitch, and nails. Lumber is hard to come by these days, as our supplier seemingly vanished.” She poured out some of the coins and counted them before giving the pouch back to the boy. “Now, where did you want these delivered?” 

“Our wagon is just outside, by the statehouse.” His voice was smooth and calm, like each syllable was carefully thought over before speaking. As he walked towards the door he and the girl shared one final glance. 

“Eleanor, come help me gather these supplies.” The woman behind the counter spoke up. The girl gave her mother a quick glance to acknowledge what she had said and immediately turned back towards the door. The boy had left in a flash. 

Begrudgingly, she propped her broom up against the doorframe and followed her mother into the back of the store. 

Fifteen minutes and a few splinters later, all of the ordered supplies had been packed into crates and boxes and were ready to be delivered to the boy’s carriage. Ellie and her sister, Peggy, were tasked with the job of moving the supplies while their mother stayed back in the store tending to customers. 

When they returned through the back door of the store, Peggy noticed their mother deep in conversation in the front room. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She spoke up with an uncertain tone. The two girls quickly hid around the corner of the door frame to further listen-in on the discussion. 

“Not really, no, but I have faith in the boy.” A familiar voice that they knew belonged to Achilles Davenport responded. “He has a lot to learn before he is ready, but he is showing signs of improvement each day.” A gruff sigh. “Have you considered talking about The Creed with the girls?” 

“Absolutely not.” Alice spoke up a little too quickly.

“Alice, don’t you think the girls deserve to know what really happened to their father? You cannot keep telling this lie in hopes-“ 

“No, Achilles, listen to me!” She cut him off. “I can’t go back to that life, I can’t put my girls in danger like that!” A few seconds of silence before Alice spoke up again, this time in a much quieter voice. “I can’t relive what happened to James-“

A gunshot rang out on a street very close to the store, stunning her into silence. 

The two girls peeked out from behind the wall and Peggy spoke up with a very concerned tone. “Mother?!” 

“Girls, make sure the back door is locked and the curtains are drawn over every widow.” The girls wasted no time in retreating back out of sight to the back room of the store. 

“The Templars are behind this.” Achilles spoke in a serious tone. 

Alice’s head whipped back over to face him. Her jaw was tense and there were tears forming in her eyes. “How do you know?”

“I saw Haytham with my own two eyes.” Alice felt her heart drop at those words. 

“He is in Boston?” The older man only replied with a nod. “Oh god, no..”

“Go and keep your family safe. I have matters to attend to.” He turned and started to walk towards the door, with Alice following close behind him. 

She opened the door and held it open for him. “Safety and peace, Achilles.”

He gave her a nod and a light smile. “To you as well.”

* * *

It had been nearly a week since the horrible events in Boston had conspired. After finding out that Haytham had orchestrated the massacre Alice had felt nothing but stress and worry. She was constantly checking the town around her while outside of the store or their home and had started carrying a small knife on her person for self defense. 

Eleanor and Peggy were left alone in the store for the time being, as Alice was on her way back from helping a customer bring their order to their home a few buildings down the street. 

As she was walking back she noticed a familiar figure open the door to the store. Tall, dark hair tightly pulled back, and donning a long black cloak with red accents and numerous weapons slung around the torso. Alice felt her heart shoot up into her neck as she realized who the figure was. 

_ He had finally found them.  _

After grabbing handfuls of her skirts and hoisting them up, she ran the rest of the way down the road and practically ripped the door off of its hinges as she bursted into the building. Her daughter and the man immediately forgot their conversation to turn their attention towards her. “She’s actually not in at the mo- Oh, mother! Are you alright?” Panting and out of breath, Alice only nodded in reply while desperately swallowing down gulps of air. “Well, this gentleman here was actually looking for you.” 

She stood up straight and let out one final ragged breath. “Darling, could you give us some privacy?” 

“Oh, uhh, of course! Absolutely.” The girl quickly disappeared into the back room, making sure to shut the door behind her. However, that didn’t stop her from pulling her sister from her work to listen in to the conversation through the wall. 

“Well, you found me. I’m surprised it took you all this long, considering we never even left the northern colonies. So, are you here to kill me? Take me hostage? Throw me in front of a firing line like you did to all those poor citizens last week?” 

The man looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Alice, I.. I’m not here to hurt you. And I had nothing to do with the massacre, I only read about it in the paper and wanted to make sure you were all okay. What are you talking about?”

Alice crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. “Your mentor and his associates were behind it.” 

“I swear on my daughter’s life that I am not lying to you.” 

Alice felt her blood begin to boil and heat creep up her face. “Shay, I’m sorry but I have not seen you in seven years and suddenly you show up, hoping everything will just be fine and that I will just suddenly trust you? You killed my husband and then went silent up until now. This whole time I thought something had happened to you, or that you had gone off and gotten yourself killed.” 

“Alice-“

"You have some nerve showing your face to me, Shay Cormac!"

"Alice, please!" She let out a huff before looking at the man in front of her in the eyes, anger still present on her face. Shay sighed before continuing, "I tried to get him to go with the three of you but Haytham.. had other plans. I had to watch him get shot in the back." Alice looked away and tried to blink back the tears that threatened to fall. "I never wanted to hurt anyone in your family, you know that." 

“Shay," Alice spoke with a shaky voice. "Have you been keeping in contact with Haytham?” 

“No. The last time we spoke was after.. everything at the Homestead. I was angry at what he did and we had a falling out. I haven’t received word from him in years.” 

"So how do you know where we’ve been but he doesn’t? A man that smart would know to send scouts searching."

Shay let out a breath before answering. “He.. did. But the report was sent to Fort Arsenal and we made a deal. I will make sure no harm comes to his son as long as he does not harm any of you. That was actually the last conversation we had before he took his leave to Boston.” He put a cautious hand on her arm and, when she didn’t recoil, he relaxed and rubbed his thumb over the soft material of her sleeve. “I know you’ve all done just fine for yourselves for this long, but if you would allow it I’d like to be there for you if at all possible. I owe it to you for being absent this whole time.”

Alice thought over the idea for a moment before nodding. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“Anything you need, I’ll provide for you. Money, supplies, weapons, you name it and I can get it. 

The younger of the two girls pulled her sister by the hand away from the door and into the middle of the room, earning a surprised “Hey!” from her older sibling. 

“I have an idea, but I need your help.” She looked at the closed door quickly before continuing. “I want the key to the study.” 

Peggy looked at her with wide eyes. “What? Ellie, are you crazy?! It’s off limits, you know we can’t go in there.” 

“Come on, please!” Ellie shot back with pleading eyes. “Don’t you want to know what mother is hiding from us? Especially after the weird conversations she had with Achilles and this Mr. Cormac out there now?” She sighed, “What if it’s information about father’s death?” 

Her sister let out a huff before nodding. “I suppose. But if we get in trouble it’s your fault!” 

The girls knew that Alice kept all her important keys together on the same ring. The store’s front and back, house, and study room keys were always in the same place. Locating them was not difficult, but acquiring them without their mother noticing was. 

When they returned home that night, Alice slipped the keys into her cloak after unlocking the door. 

_ Alright, now just to get it away from her. _

She crossed the small room to the fireplace and immediately got to work on getting a fire started for the evening. As she worked the two girls shared a knowing look, signaling that they were going to try and execute their plan before the night was over. 

After a few minutes of work the room was lit by the orange glow of a fireplace and the house was warming up. Alice finally shed the thick cloak she was wearing and slung it over the chair by the door. “Girls,” she called into the sitting room where her daughters were seated by the fire. “I’m going to start supper. It should be ready in about 30 minutes or so.” 

The girls nodded at their mother before she disappeared into the kitchen. After waiting a minute or so to make sure she was preoccupied, Ellie made a beeline to where Alice had left the cloak. She fished the keyring out of the outerwear’s pocket and flashed it to her sister. Peggy looked up, gave her a knowing smirk, and set off for the study down the hall with Ellie following close behind her. 

Of course, all three of the keys looked the same so they had to try each of them to find the correct one. After getting the door open, Ellie stepped in cautiously and looked around with a look of wonder. The room had two tall bookshelves completely filled to the brim with old books as well as a large desk with chairs on either side. 

Peggy glanced out the door of the study and down the hall before speaking in a low voice, “Just hurry up and grab something.” 

Ellie approached the desk in the middle of the room and picked up a large red, leather-bound book and opened it. Peggy walked over and peered over her sister’s shoulder to read the first page of the book with her.

“What do you two think you are doing?” Alice’s angry voice ripped them from their thoughts. 

The two girls shot back from the desk, terror written all over their faces. Ellie immediately tried to hide the worn out book behind her back. “We-uh, I…”

“It was her idea!” Peggy shot an accusatory finger towards her sister, earning a hard smack to the shoulder. 

Alice approached them menacingly and snatched the book out of Ellie’s grasp before placing it down a little too aggressively on the table next to them. “Haven’t I told you girls that this area is off limits?!” She turned to look at the girls, anger and worry raging in her green eyes. “The information in these books is not for the two of you to be learning. It could cost you your lives.” 

Ellie straightened her back and looked her mother in the eyes. “What are you hiding from us? I heard your conversations with Achilles and Mr. Cormac. What really happened to our father?”

Alice’s voice shrank and her threatening posture fell. “Girls, please.. we’ve been over this.”

Ellie felt tears start to glaze over her eyes. “No we haven’t! We deserve to know what truly happened to him! To our  _ father _ !” As she grew increasingly upset she felt tears start to steadily roll down her face. 

Peggy stepped forward next to her sister and spoke up. “What if something happened to us. Wouldn’t you want to know who was responsible?” 

Alice looked down at her feet and struggled to find the right words. “I..” A frustrated sigh. “Yes. Yes, I would.” She walked over to the door and gestured for the girls to exit the room. “Go on. We have a lot to discuss over dinner.” 


	2. The Templars' Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, completing an update? It's a Christmas miracle! Sorry it took 4 months, college has been a pain in my butt. But, hopefully I can get another chapter out soon. Thank you so much for the support, hope you enjoy!
> 
> Lots of angst in bound, don't say I didn't warn you. 
> 
> BTW- this is the backstory that Alice is telling her daughters, picking up directly after last chapter. Picture it as a flashback, I suppose.

**_Davenport Homestead, May 11, 1763._ **

Achilles hobbled into the dining room of the manor, his left leg wrapped tightly in bandages and his arm holding onto James for balance. Alice followed behind the pair closely, trying to hide her visible frustration. The injured man fell back into the chair with a grunt and spoke, “Shay knows where our base of operations is located, and he will no doubt be returning here soon to make sure the Brotherhood never returns. You two and the girls are leaving.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” James said with furrowed brows. 

“No, but it is the best one we have.” He paused to run a hand over his face. “When the Templars show up next they will not be taking prisoners and I will not be able to live with myself if something happened to one of your daughters.” He looked up at the two of them, face full of seriousness. “You all need to get as far south as possible. Maybe even out of the country-”

“Achilles, _no!_ ” Alice punctuated with a hand slamming down on the table. “We need to stay close to you, especially now that you can barely walk on your own. We could live in Boston and hide in plain sight. Surely there’s too many people living there already for us to be found out.” 

“I’m friends with a shopkeeper near the docks,” James spoke up. “He could ensure employment and a warm place to stay until things calm down.” 

Achilles looked between the two of them. “You honestly believe this will work?”

Alice tried a hopeful, but sad, smile. “We have to try.”

* * *

It all happened so quickly. Warning calls of an approaching enemy ship, fellow assassins rushing around the Homestead to make final preparations for battle, Ellie and Peggy being practically shoved into the back of a carriage. Alice and James exchanged a glance, one filled with more emotion than their entire 13 year long relationship. James captured his wife’s hand in both of his larger ones, and looked at her with glossy eyes. “I will catch up with you soon, my love. Keep our little ones safe.” Alice looked at him with a similar expression, her bottom lip quivering from trying to keep back tears. He leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips before pulling back and kissing both of his daughters’ foreheads. “I love you all so much. Do not wait for me. I’ll find you when we’re done here.” 

All Alice could do was nod as she watched her husband pull his hood over his face and turn to run back towards the manor. She couldn’t cry, not now. Now she had to be strong. If not for herself, then for their daughters.

* * *

Shay approached the manor with his head held high and determination burning in his eyes. His heart, however, was burdened by what he knew would have to happen.

_I pray you all got out._

Haytham led the assault, with Charles Lee at his right hand and Shay just behind his left. As they marched closer to their target, doubt began to set in. He had to make sure they were safe before doing anything else.  
“Kenway!” Shay called towards the man in charge. He stopped a few feet in front of the door and looked over his shoulder. “Go on ahead, I have business of my own to tend to.” He gave a nod of acknowledgement before forcefully kicking the door in.

As Shay walked away from the manor he felt his heart clench. Why was he backing out _now?_ Did he really think there was anything he could do, if he did manage to find Alice and her family? He was now the enemy, the one who turned against the Brotherhood and hunted down those who he once fought beside. There’s no reason for any of them to trust that his intentions were good. 

“Bold of you to show your face here again, Cormac.” Shay was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of a familiar voice calling to him from behind. He stopped dead in his tracks, his body freezing in terror. His shame made him too afraid to turn around and face the inevitable consequences of his actions. “What, too coward to even show your face?”

At those words Shay forced his body to turn around. He was met with the hooded face of his former ally, and one of his closest friends. The man he trusted as much as Liam, if not more. 

“James, are the girls okay? Are they safe?”

He let out a scoff. “Wouldn’t you like to know, _traitor_.”

Shay felt his throat tighten. He knew the words were true but hearing them from someone so important to him stung. “ _Please_ ,” he almost whispered, his voice failing him. “All I want to know is that they got out of here.”  
“You won’t see them again, if that’s what you’re so concerned about. They’re on their way out now before you can do anything to hurt them.” James started slowly approaching him. “You’ll never get to see _her_ again.” 

“James, please! Go with your family, you don’t have to get caught up in all of this.” He looked at the man, who he once considered a close friend, with pleading eyes. 

“I know what really happened, Cormac. I know what _you_ did to _my_ family!”

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You already have. And now I will get to show you how I feel.” He reached for his pistol holstered at his side, but as he aimed for the man in front of him Haytham had approached him behind.

Shay realized the Master Templar’s intentions all too late.

“NO!!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, lurching forward to catch James’ body as it fell. He stood there helplessly watching the man before him grasp at his neck, blood seeping between his fingertips as he fell lifelessly into his arms.

Shay’s mind was swarming with thoughts. He wanted to scream, cry, even punch Haytham in the face. James didn’t need to die. He should have saved himself when he had the chance. 

_None of this should have happened._ _  
_He set James’ body on the snow covered grass before closing his eyes and folding his hands over his chest. Just as he was about to say something to honor his fallen friend, he heard Lee call as he ran towards Haytham.  
“Sir, there’s a carriage trying to escape!”  
Shay’s brain lit up with only one thought: _Alice._ He shot up from the ground and lunged at the Grandmaster. “HAYTHAM, STOP!!” Shay’s hand gripped Haytham’s forearm and forcefully tugged him backwards to face him. “There’s children in there! They don’t deserve to lose their lives over this!” 

Haytham looked back at the cart and watched as it continued to hurry down the hill, almost out of sight. He reluctantly placed his pistol in its holster before turning back towards the manor, gesturing for two men to follow him. Shay ran a shaking hand over his face before trudging along behind his fellow Templars.

* * *

Peggy pushed herself up to her knees and peaked over the back of their small cart. “Mother, where’s father? Why isn’t he with us?” she asked with sadness in her voice. 

Alice looked down at her children but quickly brought her attention back to the road in front of her. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she quietly said “He’ll catch up to us soon, sweetheart. It’ll all be okay.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shout out to my friend Esme, [nuka_cherries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nuka_cherries/pseuds/nuka_cherries), for constantly listening to me ramble about this story and helping me figure out plot stuff.


End file.
